


Two Crowns and A Gold Cup

by dark_spark



Category: Antisepticeye - Fandom, Darkiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Marriage?, Multi, Royalty AU, fighting between Dark and Anti as always, kingdom au, proposal, you're a queen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-10 04:47:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14730209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_spark/pseuds/dark_spark
Summary: The fair land Magnifica is split into three kingdoms, each ruled by very different but worthy leaders: Anti, Dark and you.Your neigbouring kingdoms had always been at war with each other, leaving you out of their feud. But what will you do, what will change when they offer a proposition to end all future suffering, to prevent future losses? Eternal peace in trade of two simple words from you: "I do."





	1. Fairytales don't have happy endings

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that Dark and Anti don't have any powers in this fic, meaning they're just normal humans not almighty beings, otherwise you would have been dead in the first paragraph.  
> Also, the first chapter is special, the rest is written normally ;)

Once upon a time there was a far away land known as Magnifica. It was a wonderful place, with deep forests full of mysteries, meadows so wide and colourful that there was oh so much plant life yet to be discovered and wild seas harbouring mythical creatures, if one chose to believe the folklore tales. Animals of every shape and size habited the continent, attracting visitors from far and wide to see the glorious beasts. The humans themselves were a humble crowd, at least the common folk, that respected the land and its occupants whether plant or animal.

The land was divided into three kingdoms, all fair and grand.

Up in the North where the winters were harsh but the sea rewarding sat a black-haired man upon the throne. His kingdom was where the determined resided, or at least so the legend goes. He was a strong leader, calculating and bold with a silver tongue that could get even a man to swoon. His name was Dark and he proclaimed proudly the name of his land: Black Crown will win the upper hand!

Over in the Southwest ruled the moors and darkest trees that scared off any lost wanderlings. The King, however, shared no such trait: Even though his hair was the fair green colour of his land he would never dare to shoo away a future friend. The King welcomed everyone with an open heart and open halls, except for few he would not name. Ecstatic and sporadic as he was, he could not sit still, he would tell everyone the name of his wonderland: He was Anti of Green Moors. Granted, you could already tell, creativity was not his best suit, neither was wit, but who are we to referee?

The third kingdom in the East was just as big, with beautiful fields and feasts meant to berich. This one, however, was different for a simple fact: It was not a Lord that sat on the throne, but a Lady. The Queen had her head held high and her eyes were slanted mean, but everyone knew she had a heart filled with kind deeds. She ruled her land alone, content without a king, and refused to see anyone who dare disagree. Her kingdom was the one everyone loved to hear, she was the maiden fair of Silver Spear. Who she was, you ask? Well, my dear, shouldn’t you be able to tell when the words written are about yourself? She was Queen (y/f/n) (y/l/n) and she would have none of my poetic bullshittery.


	2. Choices, choices, choices

Your castle was bustling with excitement; everyone was looking forward to the annual Harvest Festival. Every servant and worker was hurrying from one place to the next and if you weren’t so fixed on the task at hand you would have loved to join their busy ranks.

Ever since you could remember the neighbouring kingdoms were at war with each other. To be honest you had no idea what had started it all but somebody told you it had started way back when the first settlers arrived and came into dispute over who should own which part of the land, or was it something about a stolen necklace? Whatever it was, all that was important was that the present kings hated each other to the death and that that was slowly becoming your problem. Well, actually, you _personally_ had nothing to worry about: You were the third party, the objective spectator, the metaphorical Swiss so to say and that your parents had signed a peace treaty with each party when they were still alive was a big part of why you had the privilege to avoid getting caught up in the raging fire. Nevertheless, there were innocent people getting involved and killed in the war because either they had to obey their king and fight or they were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time and that hurt you. You wanted to help those people and stop the killings, stop the unnecessary battles.

Now, to get what you wanted you had come up with a plan. It wasn’t very good or well thought out and now that you thought more about it, it was actually quite plain and straight up stupid. But neither you nor your advisor and right hand man Quill could come up with a better one. The plan went as followed: You will invite both kings to the Harvest Festival where, out in public, they will be forced to withhold their rather murderous tendencies and listen to you. Then you will convince them to sign the new reformed peace treaties that stated that none of the three kingdoms are allowed to declare war on each other and that any ongoing battles shall be stopped immediately, and then, voila, peace until the end of your time. Hopefully.

The sound of the grand double-doors leading to the throne room ripped you out of your thoughts as they crashed against the walls. One or two people looked wondrously after Quill as he hurried to your throne, but no one, except you, was perturbed by his red face and the fast pace he was walking at. Nearly running into a servant he finally kneeled at your throne with his head bowed, his messy blonde hair covering his worry filled eyes.

“My lady, my Queen, I come bearing bad news,” he panted. Had he been running all the way to the castle? You were getting more anxious with every second that ticked by.

“Go on,” you said, straining to keep an even voice. Despite your encouragement Quill was suddenly more interested in the ground. He took a deep breath before looking up and solemnly speaking, “They’re coming.” The fuck? What was that supposed to mean?

“Quill, you can’t come barging in here, looking like hell is just outside my castle doors and then leave such an ominous statement hanging in the air. Speak clearly or don’t speak at all,” you warned. You realised you sounded a bit mean, hissing such harsh words, but you were on the edge of your seat with worry and decided that if you really had hurt your advisor’s feelings you would apologize later on. “Well, that- uh- that is indeed what is happening,” he stuttered, shut his eyes for a moment to gain his composure and then quickly added, “Hell is outside your castle doors, well, not yet. Lord Anti and Lord Dark are coming to speak with you for... reasons unknown.”

You inhaled sharply; you weren’t prepared for a meeting with them. “Why wasn’t I informed sooner?” you growled. Everything was just fine and dandy and you were planning events that weren’t supposed to happen for _weeks_ and now, suddenly, out of no-where you were supposed to play host for two men that hated each other with such a passion that you were starting to worry about your interior design getting destroyed. “We didn’t know about their trespassing after they already had crossed our border, my Majesty.” You hummed in acknowledgement. “And when will they be arriving?” you questioned further. Quill looked to the floor with what could only be shame. Oh boy, you were going to hate his answer. “Less than an half an hour,” he breathed. Yep, you definitely hated it.

“You have got to be kidding me!” you exclaimed and jumped up from your throne. ‘Today, today could as well be my death day,’ you mused; nothing like two closet psychopaths coming to your kingdom without an announcement, leaving you no time to plan ahead in any way.

You walked down the stairs from your throne and patted your best man on the shoulder. “Up, Quill. We have a lot of work to be done.”

 

 

When a maid informed you that your guests were now entering the castle you felt less than ready, but a Queen has duties to fulfil and one of them was protecting her kingdom.

You stood up from your throne as soon as the doors swung open. In strode Dark with a straight back and upheld nose like always. His presence took in so much space, alerting everyone of his mighty status, that you almost overlooked Anti leisurely strolling in after him. Thinking about it, you had never seen Dark and Anti in the same room before, especially not in your empire. You would always see to it that they were never at the same spot at the same time; unfortunately there was nothing you could do about it today.

As the two men approached your form, you noticed their swords were still hanging on their hips despite you telling the guards to take off any weaponry. After all, you didn’t want to put your life on the line, but once again, it seemed like today just wasn’t your day.

Dark bowed immediately when he reached the lower end of the few stairs that led up to your throne. Anti wasn’t as quick, in fact, if Dark wouldn’t have done it, he would have forgotten all about it. After Anti’s rather pitiful attempt of a bow you greeted them.

“Welcome to Silver Spear. I am very pleased to see the both of you again,” you lied easily; it was one of the things you had learned to do as the lone ruler of an empire. “I’m happy to see you as well,” Anti said, a genuine smile spreading on his thin lips, ignoring his archenemy beside him. Dark almost scoffed at that, he thought Anti sounded like a kid. He clasped his hands behind his back and a small smile graced his lips. You were genuinely confused: Both of your guests almost acted as if the other didn’t exist, not to mention, you were a hundred percent certain that you never saw them donning a real and profound smile like they were at the moment, or at least trying to.

“I’m profusely glad you tolerate my coming on such short notice,” Dark said.

You nodded at the kings, you weren’t quite sure what you were supposed to say, or do. Thankfully, Dark immediately seized the opportunity to continue to run his mouth. He did have an eloquent way with words.

“Your Highness, you might be wondering what business I have, showing up here most rudely without sending at least a request if my stay is even welcome. To clear up any misunderstandings, I-” “Loser,” Anti coughed out, interrupting his enemy.

Dark’s figure froze for a second and you swore your heart did as well, but he quickly shook it off to your relief. “I wanted to clarify that in no way did I come here to threaten or-” “Asshole,” Anti coughed out again, this time louder, deliberately toying with Dark’s temper. Said man took a deep breath with his eyes closed. The tension grew thick in the room, so thick that you could have easily sliced it with a butter knife.

You decided to interfere.

“Lord Anti, must I remind you that you are a guest in _my kingdom_ and I will tolerate no such behaviour.  Learn to temper your tongue,” you told him, your voice changing into a hiss the longer you spoke. “Yes, your Highness. Please, I forgot my manners,” he immediately apologised. You inwardly sighed; something told you that this wasn’t the end.

You motioned Dark to continue. “As I was saying before I got rudely _interrupted_ ,” Dark glared at Anti who smiled innocently, “I didn’t come here to hurt you, I actually wanted to-” “I’m sorry what?” Anti screamed although he was standing just a few meters from the dark haired man. “Could you repeat that? I couldn’t understand you!?”

That was the last straw. You were about to tell him off, maybe throw him out if he really didn’t behave, but Dark was faster than you – you weren’t sure if you were happy about that. Before you could even stand up, Dark already snapped at Anti. “You are one of the most _childish_ and _idiotic_ people I have ever met. I have absolutely no idea how you are seen fit for the throne!” he barked. Anti only chuckled in response, he seemed happy to be the cause of Dark’s outburst to your dismay. Fixing his attire and his, at this point, lightly dishevelled hair he murmuring added “I should sit atop that throne.” You chose to ignore the comment and hoped Anti hadn’t had heard it.

Silence spread in the room once more. An unsettling, ominous silence that you would have preferred over Anti’s cackling. “Shut it,” Dark commanded in such a sinister tone that you would have loved to hang your crown up on the wall and just live as a settler somewhere up in the mountains to never see him again. But you were stuck here, in front of two sworn enemies.

“Is something bothering you?” Anti asked almost mockingly, his fingers fidgeting with the handle of his sword that was still safely in its sheath. You looked between the two from your raised position on your throne, nothing but worry filling your mind. This was just getting worse and worse. Dark snarled at him in response, viciously and beast-like, almost nonhuman. That was the moment you decided to interfere. If this situation would go off the rails, your end would be ensured, and it was already dangerously tipping off the side.

“Now, now,” you spoke slowly, stalling for more time, “I think we are mature enough to not bother with such childish acts.” You tried nestling into your seat more comfortably, it was a trick your father had shown you, it created the illusion that you held enough power to be relaxed even though – to be frank – you were scared shitless. But your body was stiff and ridden with nervousness.

The kings continued glaring at each other and for a moment you thought you had to speak up again before Dark turned to you with a small smile on his lips. “Yes, of course, your majesty.” He bowed politely, but the smirk was still frozen on his face which left an unsettling feeling in your gut. You believed you heard Anti curse something under his breath as he hurriedly went down on his knee and muttered apologies. You didn’t know what they were planning but both lords had never had any respect towards you, seeing you as the weakest link and no actual threat to overthrow them they mostly ignored you, especially your demands. Dark had long since straightened his posture while Anti was still kneeling with his head bowed.

“Stand up.”

Anti complied instantly, with no complaints whatsoever. Okay, now you were convinced that this was your end, they had agreed amongst each other to off you and overtake your empire, you couldn’t think of another reason why they were acting so out of the ordinary.

“Please, do _finally_ explain what business you have here,” you ordered while massaging your temple gently. Anti’s face immediately lit up. “I thought you would never ask!” he exclaimed excitedly, suddenly bursting with joy, but added a hurried “your Majesty” at your pointed look. Anti calmed himself down to a certain extend before explaining, “Well, you see-” “Your majesty,” Dark interrupted Anti, for one as payback and also because he clearly did not want to listen to the green-headed’s clarification. “If I may explain?” he asked most politely while ignoring the jabbing glares Anti was sending him. You waved your hand in a get-on-with-it motion; at this point you just wanted to get rid of the two troublemakers as quickly as possible. “Cut it short this time,” you told him and gave Anti one last warning look. He got the message: He should keep his mouth shut.

“I came here with a proposition and it seems that Anti had the same idea I had,” Dark told you. You tensed slightly. They came here with a proposition? As in a negotiation? That didn’t sound like a good thing. “A proposition?” you parroted for confirmation, both Dark and Anti nodded. You sighed, “Well, go on then.”

Dark wanted to speak first but Anti wasn’t going to let that happen; with hurried steps he ran up the stairs to your throne and went down on knee, nearly falling over in his rush. “(Y/f/n) (y/l/n), will you marry me?”

To say that you were stunned would have been an understatement. You were prepared for almost anything, that was the only thing you couldn’t have anticipated, but before you could utter some sort of reply, Dark was already behind Anti and roundhouse kicked him in the face. The Irish man was flung to the side, the blood from his injured gum spattering all over your dress.

“Holy fuck!” you exclaimed, letting your tough composure fall at last as you jumped up surprised and scared. Before you could either help or discipline anyone, Dark had already seized your hand in his. You flinched at his touch, your eyes still frantically moving between the two men, you knew that things were out of control now. Dark looked slightly wounded, either because you were scared of him or because you weren’t giving him your full attention, you couldn’t tell. Nevertheless, he raised your hand slowly to his lips, and pecked it lightly, all while gazing intently into your eyes. In a way it unsettled and flattered you.

“Your Highness, I must excuse the boy’s rash behaviour. You see, he only wants to expand his kingdom with this most foolish proposal in hopes of finally being able to overtrump my troops and taking over the whole land,” Dark explained, never taking his eyes off of you even when Anti protested through a mouth full of blood. “Dark, ya bastard, what the fuck are you talking about?” Anti yelled, still sitting on the floor, trying to steady his vision. But the dark-haired man only rolled his eyes and ignored the disturbance. “But my intentions are true,” he amended. Your confused expression didn’t stop him from continuing. “Your Highness, I shall want to court you.” That was too much. You needed a moment to reassess the situation.

Here were the neighbouring kings:

A man of greatness and dark thoughts with a mind as sharp as a knife, ready to be wielded carefully. You had heard rumours that he was a master manipulator, cunning and not to be trusted. But according to those rumours he was also the weaker out of the two and only through his faithful troops had he been able to hold his position and yet, here he was, standing proud and tall while his enemy was spitting blood at his feet.

The latter, although now with a hurt ego was a force to be reckoned with. He was aggressive, unpredictable and swift, with force just as blunt as his mouth work. You would have preferred not ever meeting him, actually you would have loved to have been kept in the dark about both of them, then you wouldn’t be sitting in this mess.

Ultimately taking pity on Anti, you slid your hand out of Dark’s, ignoring his statement and knelt down next to Anti.

“Guess I’m not the best host, letting my guest get banged up like this,” you joked, a most pitiful attempt at lightening the mood. He beamed at you, “This but a scratch.” “That’s right,” Dark cut in, “I could have done so much worse, but I didn’t want to get too brutal in the presence of a lady, a Queen no less.” Dark smiled at you (seeing him smile at you was still something you had to get used to) and somewhere in some part of your brain you considered it kind of him to consider you.

“Oh yeah?” Anti challenged. He slowly got up, staggering along the way, but instantly declined your help when you offered it. Dramatically yelling his kingdom’s name, he unsheathed his sword and charged at Dark, but seeing as a (slightly) concussed Anti was no match for the older man, he simply stepped aside and let Anti swing his weapon through the air without any bloody results. Enraged by his failure, Anti became even more livid. “You fucking bastard, I swear one day I’ll kill you!” he barked. Dark, now fully in control of his temper and the situation, only clicked his tongue. “Watch your foul mouth.”

You had a feeling this day was about to go from bad to worse to death real quick and seeing as your dress was already bloodied you had nothing more to lose.

“Will you two-” you began but were promptly interrupted by Anti’s yelling.

“Wipe that smug grin off your face!” he screamed at Dark who was enjoying the situation more than he should. “Will you two fuckers finally shut up!” you shouted before Dark could retort. With that you lost your final thread of patience and dignity. Shocked both men dedicated their full attention to you. “Thank you! Thank God!” you exclaimed. You had it up to the top with these “mighty kings”. They couldn’t stand each other and yet came into your kingdom together, barged into your castle, offered questionable proposition, started a fight right in front of your throne _and_ bloodied your dress. “Now that I finally gained your attention, I would like to tell you what I think about all of,” you gestured at them both, a scorn adorning your lips, “this. After all, my opinion is important, right?” They kept quiet, odd coming from the both of them. You guessed they were ashamed of their actions, and if they weren’t, they should be.

“Right?” you repeated. You raised your eyebrows, urging them to respond. “Of course,” Dark answered, metaphorically catching his footing almost immediately. “Your view on this matter, on any matter, will always be valued.” “Yeah,” Anti chimed in, for the first time agreeing with his rival.

You clasped your hands together. “Good, very good,” you muttered. You hadn’t thought that you would come this far, that they would actually listen to you, and now you were stumped for words. “Well, uh, first of all, I would like to urge you to ask before you come visit.” Both men nodded. “Then I would like you to behave: no fighting in my kingdom!” They nodded again. “And lastly, don’t _ever_ talk over me again. I am the superior in this situation; you should show me some respect.” They nodded dully. “Now that that is out of the way, what is your true reason behind your visit?” you asked. “I would never lie to you, I told you the truth and only the truth,” Dark told you earnestly, “I do see a future in our relationship.” Anti cackled in disbelieve. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” he yelled out frustrated. “I asked first! I got dibs!” Dark shook his head, “This is no competition, Anti, otherwise I would be winning.” “And I’m no object to be fighting about,” you snarled.

A lot of thoughts were racing through your head, mainly: “How can we solve this peacefully?”

Anti shrugged, either he didn’t know or he didn’t care. Dark spoke up, “I have an idea. The Harvest Festival is coming up in a few weeks time, is it not?” You nodded. “We can agree on giving you time until then to decide who you choose. Just remember, every choice comes with consequences.”

Then he just left, dragging a reluctant Anti with him. Guess you just had to accept it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the ending is a bit rushed, but if you wanna read more, leave kudos or comments to let me know!  
> Also if you find any mistakes, please tell me so I can correct them.


	3. Isn't that cheating?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprise visits and a not so surprising letter.

Almost a week had passed since that... _incident_.

You still didn’t know what you were supposed to think of it. Apparently you were supposed to choose a groom until the Harvest Festival, meaning you had another two week left to decide with whom you shall live until the rest of your days. It sounded quite dark when you put it like that.

You wondered what would happen if you refused to choose. They hadn’t stated any consequences, just told you to do it, as if you wanted to. Of course, the outcome could be quite positive: They might just respect your decision and go back to live their lives as if you didn’t even exist. But knowing them, it would most likely result in even more chaos and a death or two, maybe even yours.

Deciding to take a break from your brooding, you got up from your throne and stretched your body until it popped in all the right places. Feeling visibly more relaxed, you strolled out into the castle grounds and sat down beneath a great elm tree. The tree held a lot of memories that were very dear to you, it had been there ever since you could remember, standing proud and tall, already spending you shade when you were an infant in your mother’s arms.

You were still reminiscing about old times when a guard approached you.

“My Queen, a guest is waiting for you.” “A guest?” you asked, wondering who it could be, after all you weren’t expecting anyone. “Yes, he had told me to not inform you of his identity, blabbering something about pleasant surprises.” Oh, you could only think of one person.

“Very well,” you sighed. “Bring me to him.”

It was no surprise when you saw _him_ patiently waiting in your foyer.

“Dark,” you greeted, plastering a big smile on your face. What the _hell_ was he doing here? His face light up as you approached him. “(Y/n), hello,” he purred in that deep voice of his. You swore if you should ever find the time to have a boyfriend, he should have a deep baritone similar to Dark’s.

“What brings you here?” you questioned, trying to keep the hostile tone out of your voice.

“Ah, well. I know my last visit was a bit much to... embrace all at once and I would like to make it up to you.”

“Are you here to withdraw your proposition?” you asked hopefully, feeling giddy at just the thought. He grinned smugly, “Absolutely not.”

Your expression faltered just slightly, but you weren’t sure if he noticed or not; you were never good at reading people. In the very least, he seemed to ignore it, “In any case, I would like to take you out, as an apology so to say.” Before you could give an answer he continued. “Now, I would have invited you to my castle, it would have been the proper thing to do, but seeing as I’m currently renovating and you are most probably overworked with preparations for the Harvest Festival,” you actually hadn’t started yet, “I thought it would be best, if I offered you a timeout, a break, from your busy schedule with this rendezvous.”

You actually didn’t want to go, you _shouldn’t_ go, you had responsibilities to attend, but it sounded so inviting that you couldn’t decline. Instead, you tried talking around it.

“Isn’t that cheating?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.  In retrospect that was a dumb question, but it was one that interested you nevertheless.

Dark frowned with confusion, which barely ever happened. “I’m sorry, I- I don’t quite understand.”

“Well, you and Anti are both fighting for my hand, right? And I’m supposed to give my decision in two weeks time. A rational, logical and political decision. And yet, here you are, bettering your chances.” Dark’s confused face cleared up immediately and he smiled understandingly instead.

“My Lady, that’s not why I’m here,” he explained slowly as he shortened the distance between the two of you. He took your hands into his as he continued, and although the action was surprising at first, the feeling of his calloused hands gently enveloping yours wasn’t unwelcome. “I’m here for your sake, for _your_ wellbeing, not for mine.”

You bit your lower lip as mulled it over. Was this really a good idea?

“Well, what did you have in mind?”

\---

At first a guard objected when Dark lead you away, but after reassuring him that you would be fine on your own, he let you go. You were growing anxious the farther Dark lead you away from your castle and his waiting carriage and deeper into the woods, but you were also feeling excited. ‘Nothing more thrilling than the chance of getting murdered,’ you thought cynically.

The forest grew thicker, darker, more ominous with every step and although Dark used his sword to cut through the thicket your dress kept getting stuck on branches. Another reason for you to hate these pompous dresses. After quite awhile you wanted to ask Dark if it would be any longer, but bit your tongue in the last second since it would sound awfully whiny and rude. ‘Fight through the pain’ was your motto anyways, so you just went with it.

Finally, you broke through a wall of leaves and found yourself at a small lake with crystal clear water, standing beneath a big willow that overshadowed even parts of the lake. It was a calming place, surrounded completely by flowers and trees that functioned as a curtain to separate it from the outside world. Serene, tranquil and stunning were all words you would use to describe the location. How did Dark find this place?

“A few years back, way back actually when your parents were still alive and I was still young and naive, I wandered off at one of my visits and got lost in the woods. I think I stumbled through these woods for ever until I had the luck of coming across this place. I fell in love with it almost instantly,” he said and thus answered your inner question.

 “It really is beautiful,” you breathed, surveying the fairylike location until you noticed the soft smile Dark wore as he stared off into the distance and you thought something you would have never have thought possible: He was even more beautiful.

It didn’t take long for him to notice you staring, so he returned his dark orbs back to you and showed off a smug grin. Embarrassed to have been caught ogling him, you looked away with a heat flushed face. Shit, now you were even _blushing_ ; what was this man doing to you?

To break the now created awkward atmosphere Dark cleared his throat and commented on the location once again. “You know, at night time, when the sun has long since set and you can hear the soft songs of the crickets, this place turns into something truly magical.” You had a rough idea of what it might look like, but certainly your mental image could never compensate for the real thing.

“You should take me some time.”

Dark gave you a kind smile and as you gazed into his onyx eyes you felt all warm and tingly inside. It was a weird and long lost feeling; you remember distinctly that you used to get the same reaction when you were enclosed in your mother’s arms and you felt like you were safe, protected and – most off all – loved.

“I promise I will, my dear.”

\---

The rest of the day went by smoothly. You might have said something awkward now and then like you usually do, however Dark was a very understanding man and way kinder than you had originally thought, so when you would laugh out of embarrassment he would lightly chuckle at your unease, but he would never laugh. You wondered if he was even capable of laughing, but pushed the thought away; you would think about that when you had more time.

Before the sun was close to setting Dark lead you back to your castle. The walk was spent in silence that you broke a few times with muttered curses when your dress – once again – got caught on some brushwood. You could throw the garment away later; not even your best tailor could fix this torn mess.

In front of your gates he stopped you. “(Y/n), I wanted to thank you most sincerely. Today was a most wonderful time spent with you, I’m very glad you agreed to come with me.” You nodded along; you just couldn’t focus entirely on what he was saying. How had you never noticed how handsome he was? Why had you always just seen him as a power-hungry rival?

“Uh, well, I’m glad you asked me out,” you spluttered. That was most definitely not your smoothest moment.

Dark smiled once more and even though the first time you had seen him show joy it seemed fake and unnatural, you believed you couldn’t live without it anymore.

“As I promised, we will repeat this soon enough, my dear.” He gave you a light peck on your cheek, the softest touch you could imagine, you barely felt it. Then he returned to his carriage that was parked at your doors. But midway into stepping in, he turned around and told you one last thing before riding off, “And I’ll replace your dress!”

\---

You strode into the castle in a daze, your fingers tenderly touching the spot that Dark’s lips had formerly touched. You swore you could still feel his mouth ghosting over your flesh, his scruff lightly scratching your cheek. But you forgot all about it when Quill bombarded you with questions.

“Your Majesty!” He hastily approached you, clutching a crumpled letter in one hand while gesturing wildly. “Where were you?! I was so scared something had happened to you! Yes, yes, I know, a guard informed me that you had gone with King Dark, but I didn’t know anything about your whereabouts and you were gone for so long! Anything could have happened, and I had absolutely no way of knowing! What if-” You quickly intervened in his monologue slash rant – you barely understood anything anyways, he was talking way too fast.

“Quill, please calm down.” You laid a hand on his shoulder to ease his worries. “As you see, I’m alive and healthy. There is nothing to worry-” “What happened to your dress?” he interrupted you, suspiciously eyeing you up and down. You sighed. You loved you advisor, but sometimes he was just a tad too overprotective. “It got caught in the woods, that’s all. Say, what do you have in your hand?” you asked, changing the topic. Still thinking about you sauntering off with Dark he handed the envelope over.

“It’s another letter,” he said, “from him.”

You groaned, you had already received quite a lot, you wouldn’t have thought he would have kept it up this long. You tore open the envelope and straightened the creases to make it readable.

_Dearest (y/f/n) (y/l/n)_

_As I already told you in my other letters, I will keep writing you almost every single day._

_Yeah, I know I’ll seem annoying and persistent but that will be worth it._

_When this letter arrives you will have two more weeks (I think) to decide on whom you’ll marry and I just wanna be that lucky fellow. But who you’ll choose is completely your decision and yours alone, I just wanna warn you that Dark is not who he seems to be._

_He’s manipulating, cunning, but most of all an arse._

_So if he invites you somewhere just say no. You won’t ever know what he got planned, so yeah, better safe than sorry._

_My apologies that this letter isn’t as sweet as the others and is rather short. I’m just really concerned about your safety._

_Wishing you all the best, Anti._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, chapter three is FINALLY out. It's a bit short, it's a bit of a filler chapter and it took me way too long to write this.  
> Once again, comment what you think and if you have anything else to say, tell me as well!


End file.
